D.C. Circuit Says Paper Money Discriminates Against Blind

The U.S. currency system discriminates against vision-impaired individuals because paper bills of different denominations are the same size, shape and color, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today.

In its 2-1 decision (PDF), the court held that the Treasury Department needs to find a way to accommodate the blind, the Washington Post reports.

The ruling upholds a lower court decision in favor of the American Council for the Blind, which first brought suit in 2002.

The court found that the Treasury Department hasn't proven that it would create an undue burden to alter bill sizes. Indeed, the court held that making such changes wouldn't cost that much more than many of the changes the department has instituted in its efforts to battle counterfeiting.